Russian twist

The Russian Twist is a type of exercise that is used to work the abdomen muscles by performing a twisting motion on the abdomen. This is a excellent exercise for building explosiveness in the upper torso, which may help in sports such as baseball, track & field, hockey, golf, or boxing [http://www.mensfitness.com/fitness/strength_training/165 The Russian Twist: Men's Fitness] ] . Along with sit-ups and crunches, Russian Twists should be incorporated into a workout if one is trying to build abdomen muscles or obtain visible "six-packs".

A picture representation of the Russian Twist is shown here [http://www.tennis.com/uploadedImages/Your_Game/Fitness/Multipart/2007_05_08_strength_5.jpg]

History

The origin of this exercise is not exactly known, but most trainers believe it came from the USSR, during the Cold War period. [http://www.mensfitness.com/fitness/strength_training/165 The Russian Twist: Men's Fitness] ]

Technique

To perform the Russian Twist, first, one should lie down on the floor with knees bent like in a "sit-up" position. The feet should be kept together and slightly above the ground or put under a stable surface. The torso should be kept straight with the back is kept off the ground at a 45 degree angle. Arms should be held together away from the body in a straight fashion and hands are kept locked together like a ball or one can hold a weight to increase the difficulty. Next, the arms should be moved from one side to another in a twisting motion, with each swing to a side counting as one repetition. The slower one moves their arms from side to side, the harder the exercise becomes and the abdomen being worked better. When moving one's arms during the exercise, it is crucial to not stop in between repetitions or else you would lose the effect of working the abdomen. Constant breathing in and out during the exercise is important as one should not hold his/her breath. [ [http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=1130 Russian Twist ] ]

There are also other variants of this exercise such as using a stability ball or with a barbell standing up.

When performing Russian Twists during a workout, an appropriate number of repetitions is 8-12 with a maximum of 3 sets, because any more than 3 sets will not produce any gains in the muscles during a single workout. Rest is important in letting the muscles recover after a workout, therefore performing Russian Twists everyday is not very productive.

References